The Book of Dreams and Ghosts eBook

“The fact was Mr. Percival was assassinated
on the evening of the 11th.

“Some business soon after called me to London,
and in one of the print-shops I saw a drawing for
sale, representing the place and the circumstances
which attended Mr. Perceval’s death. I
purchased it, and upon a careful examination I found
it to coincide in all respects with the scene which
had passed through my imagination in the dream.
The colours of the dresses, the buttons of the assassin’s
coat, the white waistcoat of Mr. Perceval, the spot
of blood upon it, the countenances and attitudes of
the parties present were exactly what I had dreamed.

“The singularity of the case, when mentioned
among my friends and acquaintances, naturally made
it the subject of conversation in London, and in consequence
my friend, the late Mr. Rennie, was requested by some
of the commissioners of the navy that they might be
permitted to hear the circumstances from myself.
Two of them accordingly met me at Mr. Rennie’s
house, and to them I detailed at the time the particulars,
then fresh in my memory, which form the subject of
the above statement.

“I forbear to make any comment on the above
narrative, further than to declare solemnly that it
is a faithful account of facts as they actually occurred.

(Signed) “JOHN WILLIAMS.” {42}

When we come to dreams of the future, great historical
examples are scarce indeed, that is, dreams respectably
authenticated. We have to put up with curious
trivialities. One has an odd feature.

THE RATTLESNAKE

Dr. Kinsolving, of the Church of the Epiphany in Philadelphia,
dreamed that he “came across a rattlesnake,”
which “when killed had two black-looking
rattles and a peculiar projection of bone from the
tail, while the skin was unusually light in colour”.
Next day, while walking with his brother, Dr. Kinsolving
nearly trod on a rattlesnake, “the same snake
in every particular with the one I had had in my mind’s
eye”. This would be very well, but Dr.
Kinsolving’s brother, who helped to kill the
unlucky serpent, says “he had a single rattle”.
The letters of these gentlemen were written without
communication to each other. If Mr. Kinsolving
is right, the real snake with one rattle was
not the dream snake with two rattles.
The brothers were in a snaky country, West Virginia.
{43}

The following is trivial, but good. It is written
by Mr. Alfred Cooper, and attested by the dreamer,
the Duchess of Hamilton.

THE RED LAMP

Mr. Cooper says: “A fortnight before the
death of the late Earl of L—–­ in
1882, I called upon the Duke of Hamilton, in Hill Street,
to see him professionally. After I had finished
seeing him, we went into the drawing-room, where the
duchess was, and the duke said, ’Oh, Cooper,
how is the earl?’